Four-time Sena corporator loses bastion to women's reservation, bats for better half

A sitting Shiv Sena corporator, who has been invincible in the past four PMC polls, has lost his seat to women's reservation this time.u00a0Deepak Gawde might be shattered from inside, but he has not given up completely.u00a0Now, he is vigorously campaigning for his wife, wearing a wry smile on his face. The sitting corporator from Ward No. 114 -- Which now falls under Panel 56 -- is pushing the party leadership to grant a ticket to his wife in the upcoming civic polls.

So what makes Gawde think that his wife Deepashri can sail through polls? The leader banks on his contacts and rapport that he developed with the people from Janata Vashahat at Parvati over the past 35 years as a newspaper vendor and then as a corporator.

As part of his job as a vendor, Gawde has been inadvertently doing soft door-to-door campaign on a daily basis in the locality even before he ventured into politics.u00a0He has been reaping rich dividends of his rapport with the masses in the past four PMC elections. Gowde said, "The people who never let me down in the past two decades, will ensure a thumping victory for my wife also."u00a0

He added, "Everyday I am up by 3.30 in the morning and go to every household to deliver newspapers. I visit around 3,500 homes a day in Parvati and adjoining areas. I wrap up my work by 11.30 am and then dedicate the rest of the day doing party works and building contacts."

His wife Deepashri, who is touted as one of the favourites to get the party ticket from Panel 56, said, "If I get theu00a0ticket, I shall certainly win the election. I am bank on the trust bank that my husband has built with the masses over the years -- first serving them as a newspaper vendor and then as a coroporator. I also work as a life insurance agent and spend my time in party activities and social work in my locality."

Shyam Deshpande, PMC group leader, Shiv Sena, said, "Janata Vasahat is the area from where out candidates have been winning for the past two decades. So we will continue the trend this time as well."